How do kleptocrats and dictators launder their reputation in the US?

In the US, all American citizens have the constitutional right to lobby their representatives in Washington DC. It’s a right that has come in handy over the years as foreign powers, dictators and kleptocrats look for proxies to help them wash their reputations and push their agendas on US soil. This week on Whale Hunting, Bradley dives into foreign lobbying with Casey Michel, an investigative journalist and author of the new book, Foreign Agents: how American lobbyists and lawmakers threaten democracy around the world. Together, they discuss the history of this murky practice in the US, how it shapes American politics in hidden ways, and what recent cases like the conviction of Senator Bob Menendez reveal about the industry. 

Casey is also the director of the Combating Kleptocracy Program at the Human Rights Foundation. You can read the program’s latest report, Infiltrating America: How the UAE Launched an Unprecedented Political Interference Campaign in the US at hrf.org. Casey’s book, Foreign Agents, is available for pre-order now on Amazon in online bookstores. 

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